


Broken Hearts

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies, F/M, Heart Break, Is it a break up if they weren't really together?, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Psychopaths In Love, Self-Destruction, Soft Master (Doctor Who), The Master Has Issues (Doctor Who), Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23328316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: The reader loses the Doctor during on of their adventures and is rescued by The Master, who convinces the reader that The Doctor left them to die. However, his miraculous rescue isn’t as much of a coincidence as it might seem; The Master made sure the reader was separated from The Doctor, desperate to spend some time alone with them.
Relationships: The Master (Dhawan)/Reader
Comments: 13
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The tags make it sound a little worse than it is, I think, but I wanted to err on the safe side. Please let me know what you think!

"Doctor? _Doctor!_ ” You screamed her name until your lungs burned, the thick smoggy atmosphere of this planet making it harder to breathe with every passing second. Where was she? This was the meeting place, you were certain of it. You remembered the strange rock formation above you, the sharp grooves in the grey stone, too angular to be natural. 

She’d promised to meet you here, sworn that she’d only be a few seconds behind you, but as you scoured the dusty horizon there was no one else in sight. That revelation did little to quiet the suspicion that someone was watching you but the truth couldn’t be ignored; you were alone. The Doctor never broke her promises, though. She’d come for you, you were certain. 

You dragged yourself over the uneven rocks, taking shelter from the harsh sun beneath the cliff face. The air was ever so slightly lighter here and you savoured the change, steadying your breathing and calming your heart rate. No doubt there would be running to come, there was always running to come, and you’d need to be prepared. 

The rocks trembled beneath your feet, another shockwave rippling through the ground. You steadied yourself against a thick stalactite, grateful that this was only a small shockwave. The Doctor had warned you that they would get worse the longer you stayed, making you wish for her speedy return even more. 

Almost as if you had willed it into existence, you heard footsteps closing in on you. You jumped up from your resting place, ready to signal your position to The Doctor, only to come face to face with one of the creatures that were trying to destroy the planet. It narrowed its bright yellow eyes at you, bared its teeth and charged straight at you. 

Too slow to dodge its attack, you were smashed against the hard rocky cliff, the uneven stone cutting your skin on collision. You screamed out in pain, tried to claw at the creature’s scaly arms and break free but its grip was too tight. Its cold, clammy fingers tightened around your neck, squeezing the life from you. 

Your limbs grew heavy, unresponsive as your mind began to fog over. Every cell in your body cried out for oxygen but there was no more to give. You fought to keep your eyes open, frantically searching for a way out, for any kind of weapon to free yourself, but found none. As your eyes flickered shut, your thoughts wandered to The Doctor. 

All of a sudden, air rushed into your lungs and you shot upright, gasping so deeply it hurt. The world was blurry as a pair of hands lifted you to your feet, balancing you on the uneven ground. 

“We need to leave, now.”

You turned towards the voice, frowning, then jumped back, hitting your head again on the cliff face. It couldn’t be… It had to be a lack of oxygen clouding your brain. Why was _he_ here and not _her_? 

The Master reached out to grab you but you pulled further away, staring at him in horror. “Don’t touch me.”

“I just saved your life. You’re welcome.”

“You probably set that thing on me in the first place.”

He ignored the accusation, all but confirming its truth. He shoved his hand out towards you, grumbling in annoyance when you knocked it away. “My TARDIS isn’t far from here. Are you coming or not?”

“Why would I go anywhere with you? The last time I saw you, you tried to kill me.”

“Don’t take it personally, love." 

You shook your head, stumbling past him as another shockwave destabilised the ground beneath your feet. You barely managed to catch yourself, narrowly avoiding falling into his arms. Brave as you could be in this situation, you stormed back out into the open, heart dropping in your chest as you saw what remained of the town crumbling into dust. "I have to find The Doctor.”

“She’s gone. She left you.”

“She wouldn't…”

The Master appeared beside you, gestured to the nothingness. “Look around. Can you see her anywhere?”

“You did something.”

“Not this time.”

You didn’t believe him - how could you? - but the prospect of dying here alone was too much. Of course, you could wait for her to come and find you, to prove him wrong and show for certain that she would always stick to her word, but this world was on the brink of collapse and you didn’t want The Doctor to find your corpse in the rubble. 

Turning to The Master, momentarily knocked off course by his intense expression, you said, “You’ll take me home?”

“Yes.”

“In return for…?”

“We’ll discuss that later. This entire planet is about to come apart at the seams. Follow me.”

To your credit, you managed to keep up with his insanely fast pace. You knew you had no choice. Whatever had prompted his change of heart, whatever drove him to save you, would not extend to risking his own life. If you fell into one of the ever growing chasms, The Master wasn’t going to save you. 

His TARDIS soon came into view, a welcome sight indeed. You couldn’t keep this up for much longer. Your muscles were burning from the exertion. Your lungs had already been struggling to filter the thick atmosphere; now with the dust in the air, you could barely lift your chest to draw a single breath. 

The ground lurched beneath you, sending you flying. The Master caught your wrist and all but threw you into his TARDIS. You righted yourself, brushing the dust from your clothes in an attempt to maintain some semblance of dignity. It was difficult, though, when you couldn’t move without coughing or moaning in pain. You earned no sympathy from the timelord, though. 

This TARDIS was different from The Doctor’s. It was dark and cold, harsh and metallic like a cage. However, it still shuddered the same was during take off and the wheezing sound still filled your heart with hope. Maybe The Doctor hadn’t left you there to die, after all. There was probably some innocent explanation, another of her plans that hadn’t quite worked out the way it should. 

Standing there alone in the cold shadows of her enemy’s TARDIS, though, it was difficult not to believe what The Master claimed. 

“Are you going to stand there all day?”

You sighed, slowly crossed the ship to take a seat beside the central console. You ran your fingers under the smooth edge of the seat, focusing on the imperfections in the material rather than your own dire situation. Eyes on the ground, well aware that you were in his home ground, you asked, “Are you going to take me home now?”

“Soon.” He waved his hand in the air, dismissing you entirely. “First, we’re going to Calcolan.”

You stared at him blankly, no idea what or where he was talking about. The Master groaned and perched himself on the edge of his console. “Didn’t she take you anywhere nice? It’s a paradise planet. The softest beaches on this side of the universe, crystal clear waters full of empathic fish that nibble the skin of visitors and take their worries away.”

It was difficult not to lose yourself in the images he was painting. It sounded perfect. You hadn’t been anywhere truly beautiful for months. Sure, The Doctor had taken you on short trips to stunning planets but there was always a monster or a plot that needed to be foiled. You couldn’t recall the last time you had just sat on the beach and rested. 

A strange thought tore you from your daydream. “You’re taking me on holiday.”

“God, no.” The Master’s face scrunched up in disgust before he disappeared around the other side of the console, hiding him from view. As he flicked a few switches, he explained, “I need something and there’s a seller based in the diamond caves who has what I want.”

Of course. Another scheme. You didn’t know why you were surprised. However, you had no interest in being a part of his plans. “Can’t you just take me home and then go collect your… thing?”

He was quite firm in his reply. “No. The seller is expecting a duke and duchess from Xindi Five. Their species never part once joined. I can’t show up alone if the seller is to believe I am who I say I am.”

“Do I have a choice?" 

"Consider it payment for saving your life.”

That was fair, you supposed. Plus, of all his schemes, this one seemed like the least dangerous to be involved with. Conning someone was wrong but unlikely to end in murder, you hoped, and you could make yourself okay with that. If this is what it took to wipe your ledger clean, then so be it. “Fine. But then you’ll take me home?”

“Wardrobe is down that corridor, fourth on the left. The TARDIS will show you what is suitable.”

You rolled your eyes at his non answer and reluctantly went to change. 

Despite your reservations, the trip to Calcolan didn’t turn out too badly. The Master didn’t kill anyone and you managed to get the device he wanted without anyone losing a limb. With the device in his pocket, he led you to the beach where you sat on the blue sand and watched the sun set. 

It was so peaceful, just the sound of the waves and his breath on the light wind. The air was the perfect temperature and the water lapped against your feet, slowly draining the tension from your body. You sat in silence with The Master, almost enjoying his company. 

Of course, you’d rather that The Doctor was here by your side. Thinking about her hurt, though, so you pushed her smiling face and bright eyes from your mind and focused on the warmth of the sun and the sand between your fingers. If this was the last alien planet you were ever going to see, at least you would have good memories here. 

As the night closed in, The Master took you back to the TARDIS. He flung his coat over the chair and tossed the small device into a corner. You wondered how he could treat it with such disrespect and disinterest, given what you’d gone through to get it. 

You sat down by the console, focusing on the screen. Gallifreyan was still a mystery to you - the TARDIS translation circuits never translated the Timelord’s own language - but the destination was clear. Earth. You felt The Master’s questioning gaze on you, a mess of emotions inside. 

“Even if I take you back, she won’t come looking for you.”

“You’re lying,” you retorted immediately, although deep down you feared he might be right. “Couldn’t you help me find her? Take me back to her? Let her know I’m not dead?”

“Why would I do that?”

Barely more than a whisper, you said, “I love her. Please, Master." 

"She doesn’t love you.”

“I know.” That was what hurt the most. You knew that. You knew The Doctor could never love you the way you wanted. She’d seen too much, had closed off that part of her heart. That would never stop your feelings for her, though. They were too strong. 

The Master circled back around the console but stopped a fair distance from you, unwilling to get close to you - physically or emotionally. “You’d go back, even though you know she will never feel the same way?”

“To be near her, yes.”

He looked down, the console light highlighting the pain in his eyes. You knew immediately that he understood. He knew the agony of being in love, how awful it could be and how you had to do whatever you could to just glimpse the smile that sent your heart flying or hear the laugh that drove away all your worries.

As quickly as the cracks in his facade had opened, they closed again. The coldness rolled over his expression, locking away whatever he’d been feeling, banishing his love back into the shadows. “All fool you, then.”

You sunk into the seat, sensing that was the end of the conversation. The screen changed as he darted around the console, plotting a new course. “You aren’t taking me home.”

“You’ve outgrown that miserable planet. Let me take you somewhere better.”

“Why?”

“Because when your hearts breaks, it’s fun to set things on fire.” He held out his hand, willing you to accept it this time. “Go on. Say yes.”

You didn’t take his hand but did nod. What could one trip hurt?


	2. Chapter 2

One trip turned into many as you found a place with The Master. He couldn't say for sure but he thought you were beginning to trust him; a mistake no doubt, he knew he'd break it eventually, he always did, but for now it felt… good to have you around. He would never admit it, of course, but you had to know. 

You'd caught him watching you too many times to pass off as casual, sneaking glances at your smile as you took in the alien worlds with a shining wonder. He put you in dangerous situations so he could save you, to see the relief on your face when he burst in and rescued you from the monsters. 

The first time you'd taken his hand, The Master was certain he'd fallen into Hell because nothing should hurt like this. It burned, a fire in his hearts, a desperation. He needed to see you like he needed to breathe. 

You occupied all of his thoughts. He pictured the lines of your face when he closed his eyes. He found excuses to touch you: he brushed against you as he passed; he fixed your clothes, smoothing down the fabric and wishing that none of the damned fabric were between you; he caught you when you stumbled. 

This was meant to be a cure for his draw towards you. Convincing you to travel with him, stealing you away from The Doctor. It should have opened his eyes to how annoying you were, how utterly human you could be and prove once and for all that you weren't worth his attention. But somehow, without even knowing it, you'd turned his scheme back on him and stolen his hearts completely. 

"Where are we going today?" you asked, landing on the seat beside him. 

You looked good today, better than normal. Something new with your hair, maybe? You smelled like strawberries, your hair still damp from the shower. That didn't account for this though. No. He had it. You were wearing different clothes - his clothes, taken from the TARDIS wardrobe. For some reason, that left his hearts racing. 

You nudged his side with your elbow, tearing him out of his thoughts. Feigning boredom, he said, "There's a planet in the Claria Cascade where two races have existed in harmony for almost a thousand years. Beautiful architecture. Great food. The anniversary of their coexistence is today but the peace is about to end."

"Has it always ended that way or are we about to go and cause it?"

Oh, you knew him so well. He jumped up and laid in the course, stealing another glance at you. But instead of the bright smile, a far away look haunted your expression. You were thinking about her again. The Doctor. Always her. No matter what he did, where he took you, her memory followed you, kept you looking back. 

He thought… He'd been so sure that you would let go, free yourself from her hold once you'd learned that she'd abandoned you. It didn't matter that it wasn't true. The Master had been ignoring her messages for months now, avoiding her calls and blocking her mind to keep you to himself just a little longer. She'd known straight away that he was to blame for your disappearance, was under the foolish delusion that he'd hurt you. 

It was only a matter of time before you stumbled upon what he'd done, too. You'd realise that he'd distracted The Doctor on that crumbling planet, kept her away long enough to steal you himself. You'd hate him. Maybe that was for the best. It would be easier for you both. 

Across the room, your sadness reeked. It was overwhelming. He couldn't stand it any longer. The TARDIS groaned as he changed course mid flight, reluctant to lead him down this path. She knew how much this would hurt him and was only looking out for her pilot. Sentimental old thing. 

"Do as you're told," he hissed, earning a sharp shock from the control. However, the ship did follow his new course and set down on a grassy hilltop. 

You were quick to race to the doors. As you flung them open, a gasp escaped your lips. Greeted by the sight of The Doctor's TARDIS, you turned back to him, confusion and pain clear in your eyes. "Master, what is this?"

"Your heartache repulses me," he said, unable to meet your gaze. "I thought it would pass but you still pine for her."

"This is cruel." You backed away from the doors, placed a hand on the TARDIS wall to steady yourself. "She left me to die."

"She did no such thing. The Doctor has spent months chasing us around the universe to find you. Bloody menace. You have no idea how many planets I've had to burn to keep her off our trail."

Your voice quivered, your hurt and anger tearing him apart. "Why? Master, why did you take me?"

He shrugged, struggling to maintain his nonchalance. You would not get to him. He wouldn't allow it. So sharply that he almost believed it himself, The Master answered, "Why not? To mess with her. With you. While she chased us around the stars, she was too busy to stop my other schemes. And you? Oh, it's been so fun to push you, to see how far you'd go. To see if I could break you. Chaos is addictive, love, and you proved it. Went further than any of her other companions ever have."

"I don't believe you."

"That's your mistake. Just leave. I know you want to. It was always going to be her over me."

"Master…"

"Leave or I will make you."

You grabbed your coat and ran for the door, pausing on the threshold. He could feel your eyes on his back but he couldn't turn to meet them. If he did, you'd realise the truth. He'd rather die. The Master gripped the edge of the console as the door shut, signalling your exit. 

The TARDIS immediately felt colder, emptier, without you. He resisted the urge to check the monitor, to ensure The Doctor found you safe. Falling into the chair, the TARDIS groaned as it flew him away. It hurt - more than hurt, it felt like dying - but it was for the best. It had to be.


End file.
